We have put safety procedures in place to keep our students and staff healthy.

• Masks: Masks must be worn at all times by all adults (teachers, staff, and visitors) and by students while in the building. If your child is unable to wear a mask for medical reasons, they must have an excuse signed by a doctor on file in the office.

• Hand-washing: Students and staff are expected to wash hands thoroughly before and after eating, after using the bathroom, if exposed to body fluids (like saliva or a sneeze), and at other times necessary throughout the day.

• Drop-off and pickup procedures: Please maintain social distancing between families during drop-off and pickup. Parents are not allowed to enter the building with their child unless arrangements have been made in advance with the office. Please move through the drop-off and pickup line as quickly as possible to make room for families behind you.

• Visiting our school: We are limiting visitors to the school during this time. Parent and community volunteer and in-person tutoring have been suspended until further notice. Most parent-teacher conferences and other meetings can be held virtually. All visits must be pre-approved and scheduled with the office.

• While in the building: When you enter the building, please check in at the front desk. During check-in, you will be given a name-tag and reminded to wear your mask at all times.

• Traffic flow in hallways and common areas: Hallways are marked with arrows. Please keep at least 6 ft. distance between yourself and others.

• Illness: Students and staff exhibiting signs of illness or having a fever of greater than 99.9°F must stay home. If you or someone you know has COVID-19 (or shows symptoms of COVID-19 such as coughing or fever), it is required that you stay home or at a designated care facility for a minimum of 14 days. Please contact us via phone or email as soon as possible.

• Directions for local COVID testing: Please visit the NYS Coronavirus Find a Test Site page to find a test site closest to you.

In addition to asking everyone to wear masks, wash hands, and maintain social distancing, our school has taken several steps to improve the safety of our staff and students. These steps have been recommended by local health authorities to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and other illnesses.

• Changes in class sizes: Average class size has been reduced to meet CDC guidelines for in-person instruction.

• Movement of students: Movement of students will be limited as per CDC guidelines.

• Improvements in ventilation: In an effort to maximize air circulation, we are opening windows whenever possible and have added industrial fans to high-traffic areas.

• Increases in cleaning frequency: Our custodial team is committed to cleaning all classrooms twice daily, once before the school day and once in the afternoon. In addition, all classroom have been outfitted with hand sanitizing stations.

• Hand sanitation: All bathrooms have been stocked with extra soap for frequent hand washing. In addition, we have provided teachers with hand sanitizer for the classroom and added hand sanitizer stations in common areas.

• Random Temperature Screenings: Every morning, prior to entering the school, school staff will perform random samplings of temperatures for both students and school-based staff using non-touch thermometers. Additional guidance on random temperature screenings is forthcoming.

  • Any student exhibiting a fever from a random temperature check must be evaluated by the nurse or health professional.

  • If a nurse or health professional is unavailable, students will be escorted to the building’s Isolation Room and await parent pickup.

• Tracing: In the event of a confirmed COVID-19 case in a school, NYC Test + Trace and NYC Health will investigate to determine close contacts within the school.

  • All students and teachers in the classroom with the confirmed case are assumed close contacts and will be instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days since their last exposure to that case. In older grades where students may travel between classes, this applies to all classes that the confirmed case was in.